Monday, March 31, 2014

The Company Commander was back today. Once again at morning formation he pointed out that the person he just escorted home, having died from cancer never asked for anything. He told people that were applying for Social Security Disability (which he referred to as SSI*) are going to regret it when they have to pay it all back. This soldier drove himself to all of his appointments too. That feels like a statement thrown at us because I have to drive my husband so he doesn't get lost or disoriented.

He went on to say that if you go to the Ombudsman you better be telling them the whole story and make darn sure you spell his name right!

Each day it feels more and more like this Commander has some underlying issues that are taking away from him being an effective leader.

I asked our Ombudsman today if she ever felt like we were keeping any information from her. She didn't feel like we had. Personally, I think I've probably overloaded her with too MUCH information.

As far as where anything stands, we are in a holding pattern until the Brigade Commander gets back from training. The Ombudsman will see if anything can be answered sooner or try to get an exact date of the next meeting.

So as of today the SCAADL appeal was filed at 4:59pm Friday the 28th of March. We were told that denials rarely get turned over and it takes months.

He is still on high risk status-accountability 7 days a week.

No vacation yet.

House is still being searched.

Still facing UCMJ action for behaviors out of his control.

Profile status is "being looked into."

0900 formation still stands even though sleep issues are well documented.

And that's where it all began. Me asking for leeway with that formation. Them telling me to "just make him go to bed." Yep, I'll be right on that.

What I would like to hear from the Company Commander is the same thing the Battalion and Brigade Commander's are saying. "Each soldier is in WTU for their own reasons. It is personal and individual. What is wrong with one should have no impact on what is wrong with another." Paraphrased but the idea is there. Sensitivity would go a long way at this point.

SSI is Supplemental Security Income for people that are disabled and don't have enough work history to be eligible for Disability.

If you are no longer able to do the job you enlisted for you are considered a subsidized employee and can apply for Social Security Disability.

Directly from the Social Security Website: Military service members can receive expedited processing of disability claims from Social Security. Benefits available through Social Security are different than those from the Department of Veterans Affairs and require a separate application.

The expedited process is used for military service members who become disabled while on active military service on or after October 1, 2001, regardless of where the disability occurs.

Active duty status and receipt of military pay does not, in itself, necessarily prevent payment of Social Security disability benefits. Receipt of military payments should never stop you from applying for disability benefits from Social Security. If you are receiving treatment at a military medical facility and working in a designated therapy program or on limited duty, we will evaluate your work activity to determine your eligibility for benefits.

You cannot receive Social Security disability benefits if you engage in substantial work for pay or profit. However, the actual work activity is the controlling factor and not the amount of pay you receive or your military duty status.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Won't you be glad when I get back to the kitchen? I know I will be! That's not going to happen yet.

This morning our house was searched for the third time by my husbands Squad Leader. As I have said before we have nothing to hide so we let them. What I am fed up with is the harassment by his Chain of Command.

I did some digging just to find out the military legality of what they are doing. I found my answer in the Military Rules of Evidence 313-315. It is really technical and boring. If you want to read it for yourself it can be found here.

I found where someone had asked a similar question to what I'm dealing with and a Military lawyer answered with this: "The commander has no authority to order a search of your home for evidence of a crime. That is because they have no jurisdiction for such an order." Link.

Do I continue to let them search and document each time they do and let the evidence rack up against them or do I go ahead and file an IG complaint? They are not going to find any alcohol because there simply is none in the house so we have no reason to care if they continue to search other than being harassed.

What would you do?

I'm trying to think of this outside of a military perspective. It would be the equivalent of police showing up at your door every few days to look through your things. I would never tolerate that without a fight.

I still don't know what to do. If I put my foot down they will just find other ways to retaliate.

Friday, March 28, 2014

*Warning* This post is being published unedited, poor grammar and all. (Sorry honey.) I want it unedited so it's purely my thinking and not clouded with military correctness.

First I want to say that there are some very good people that work on my husband's care team in the Warrior Transition Brigade.

I will try to explain this from my point of view to give my understanding of how it operates. There are two sides to the WTU. One is medical and one is military. Regardless of the advice from the medical side the Army side has the final say. They can and will do whatever they want.

On the medical side there is a Primary Care physician (that you don't get to chose, you are assigned to.) A nurse case manager and a social worker. Of course the soldier will also have his appointments with his own counselors, Doctors, specialists, etc.

On the military side there are different levels. The main being Company, Battalion and then Brigade. There are more levels but those three seem like the most important for what I'm trying to say.

The Company Commander is a Captain from what I've always seen. They are the closest command to the soldiers. That still is not very close. In between the Soldier and this Commander is a 1st Sergeant, Platoon Sergeant and a Squad Leader. My initial impression of this person was positive. My impression fairly rapidly changed. I am trying to be understanding that he had some personal losses that appeared to be affecting his treatment of my husband. I will accept that, it sadly happens to us because we are human. The turning point will come if he tries to correct it.

If you need anything you start at the Squad Leader who then takes it to the Platoon Sergeant, then to the 1st Sergeant and then the Company Commander. Often times issues are taken care of and the information never gets sent up the line. This means that the Company level Commander only sees things that usually get to a point where it's just not good. At this level we have seen a breakdown of communication. We know this from comments from the Chain such as "I didn't know that."

The next level is the Battalion Commander. From what I've observed is this person is a Lieutenant Colonel. He is over all the Companies in the Battalion. I'm not really sure how many companies there are but there are hundreds of soldiers in WTU. My impression of the Battalion Commander here is a good one. This Commander has even gone out of his way to talk to me one on one. That is something I greatly appreciated. I didn't feel I had to defend anything, explain anything or ask for anything. It was just chit chat. I also think he was able to learn a few things that he probably had no idea about during that short conversation.

Then there is the Brigade Commander. He's over the entire Battalion. This is a Colonel. The next level is a General, I have yet to talk to one. I get intimidated enough at the Battalion level. Oops, got sidetracked. Okay, my impression of the Brigade Commander was also very positive. I was quite shocked at these higher levels their capacity for human compassion. The Brigade Commander was impressive in his demeanor and speech. He listened intently to my concerns while taking notes. He remained non-committal with any answers or solutions as any good leader should be. He did take pretty immediate action on a couple of concerns I had. The others, as I would expect him to do, will be looked into to see the best way that they can be resolved. He was honest and said I may not like all of his answers. I can accept honesty.

Then there is the Brigade Surgeon who works under the Brigade Commander. Obviously this is a Doctor of some sort. I do not know what the specialty would be. Doing a quick search I found this:
FM 4-02.21
C-3. Duties and Responsibilities of the Brigade Surgeon
The brigade surgeon is an MC officer (Major, AOC 62B00). He is a special staff officer who plans with
and coordinates brigade CHS activities with the brigade S1. The surgeon is responsible for the technical
control of all medical activities in the command. The brigade surgeon oversees and coordinates CHS
activities through the BSS and the brigade S3. The brigade surgeon keeps the brigade commander informed on the status of CHS for brigade operations and the health of the command. He provides input and obtains information to facilitate medical planning. For definitive information pertaining to the brigade surgeon's duties and responsibilities, see FM 8-10-21

I'm sure this is an educated person that is trained as well as any other Doctor is trained. However, this person sits in an office without ever examining my husband and makes decisions that are contrary to the information of Doctors my husband actually does see. He has in fact made decisions regarding my husband that make no sense at all.

When a soldier is sick or injured their Doctor writes a "Profile." This profile tells the Chain of Command what the diagnosis is, how much they are affected by their ailment and what their limitations are. These are very important documents. These profiles also do NOT have to be followed by the Commander. It was explained to me that "It's in the best interest for the Commander to adhere to a Soldiers profile but they can choose to ignore it."

I believe the Company Commander chose to ignore my husband's dementia profile and had the Brigade Surgeon "Expire" it. Not just one time, but twice and from two different Doctors. Okay, that was unfair. I can't prove the Company Commander did that. I do know that Major Serros expired them and spoke to the Doctors and told them to not put a diagnosis on the profile. One Doctor got intimidated and did what was expected. The other was not intimidated and wrote a new profile, worded slightly different. We'll have to wait to see if he expires it.

The Battalion Commander took time today to just talk to me. Not a formal meeting. Just a running into someone and having some chit chat. He told me that WTU's were relatively new and they had their faults. I can understand that. I actually understand that a great deal more than anything else that has been offered to me. It makes sense because you have all these non-medical people trying to run a military brigade full of sick and injured Soldiers. Yeah, that's asking for a disaster in my opinion.

It seems like it would be easy enough to solve if the Company level Commander would listen to and HEED the advice of the medical side and if the Brigade Surgeon would follow what a Soldiers own medical providers say.

Simple right? Well to me it is. I know nothing in the Army is that easy.

I'm still waiting for the right thing to be done, I think the Battalion and Brigade level want to help. We'll see.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

I tend to speak in Army acronyms so I am going to try to explain them as I go along from now on.
The WTU or WTB provides command and control, primary care and case management for Soldiers in transition to establish conditions for healing and to promote the timely return to the force or transition to continue serving the Nation as a Veteran in their community.

Now, on to the updates.

My husband's nurse case manager spoke up for us to keep him off EMMO since I take care of all of his medications. I'm assuming her taking a stand worked because he has not been notified that he has to start it. *EMMO is Education Medication Management and I have no idea what the O is. It means a soldier has to go to the pharmacy every day to pick up a days supply of mediation. Tell the person what they are and why they are taking them.

I met with the Brigade Commander yesterday and gave him all the evidence and supporting documents. I feel the meeting went very well. I was told I would start getting answers by Monday. We actually go back already tomorrow morning, Friday the 28th to meet with him again. That seems fast and worries me that decisions were being made in haste. However I presented a very strong case with definitive evidence so we will see.

I do believe there are people at WTU that are trying to help and that at least make an attempt to understand this disease that they have never had to deal with. I also believe that the Company Commander wants to be effective but in dealing with his own personal losses he is taking issues out on good Soldiers. Others helped me to see that and I have to agree that it makes sense. I just couldn't understand how someone that was so kind 2 months ago suddenly became a person that punishes and harasses a soldier.

I am not sure what the issue is with the Brigade Surgeon as he has never even examined my husband or spoke to him. He denied his SCAADL and "Expired" all of the profiles that had a dementia diagnosis on them. One of the requests that I made to the Brigade Commander were that those profiles were reinstated and that the Brigade Surgeon was to no longer be involved in the medical care and decisions pertaining to my husband. The Brigade Commander did seem very concerned about this issue and I believe headway was made this morning at least pertaining to the SCAADL.

*SCAADL=Special Compensation for Assistance with Activities of Daily Living*

I also made a request for a transfer to a CBWTU. *Community Based Warrior in Transition Unit* That would allow my husband to move home. There are three criteria that have to be met. One is out of reach but the Commander told me it was possible to get around. There is still hope.

I think the Commander was shocked when I was reading my list of reprisals and said that our off post home had been searched twice. He did not say anything but his body language did. I am certain he knew nothing of those searches and did not approve.

There are people on my husbands care team that are not Cadre of WTU that are simply amazing and they do stick their necks out for the proper care and treatment. However, all decisions are ultimately left up to the Commander. Since most of the Cadre are not people with medical backgrounds I think that puts our wounded and sick soldiers in a bad position with people that know little to nothing about their conditions making decisions for these soldiers. Commanders that go against the advice of Doctors because it's not what they want to see or they refuse to acknowledge.

By rejecting my husband's profile, thus his disease it opened them up to bring UCMJ action against my husband and gave them the ability to separate him under less than honorable to dishonorable conditions. I have since received a letter from one Doctor now that states what his profile stated. The letter does not have to be approved by the Brigade surgeon. The letter simply exists. They cannot take that away from us.

*UCMJ=The Uniform Code of Military Justice is the foundation of military law in the United States.*

I also requested that my husband be taken off high-risk status which requires 7 days a week accountability. He was low-moderate risk before this fiasco started. Their protocol seems a bit warped on this and even if the nurse case manager, social worker etc don't put him on high-risk the Commander still can. Again, the Commander (non-medical) can do pretty much whatever he wants.

We are hoping that tomorrow brings positive changes. I don't expect all my requests to be met to the letter. At best I am hoping for compromise. I have very little belief left of what I thought WTU was there for. I will withhold final judgement for now to see if the right thing is done.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

As Mikey shares his wisdom and wit I am going to post them here. These are such special treasures.

March 21, 2014: Impending doom (insert dramatic music here) sucks but life without living sucks more. Stop and smell the damn roses. Compliment a clerk on her hair or nails. Learn to play guitar and write a song about dog farts. Take an epileptic friend to church and see if a revival breaks out. Send a trophy to every child you know that says how awesome they are. (Google it, trophies are not expensive.) If you go to a big church that doesn't need your money then use that 10% at the grocery store, you can pay your tithes at the shelter. If you're a racist like me then make a commitment not to pass that foolishness on to the next generation. Your life will never be complete until you've sung at least 1 karaoke song. Fly a Ugandan or Albanian flag at your house just to confuse your neighbors. Adopt something. Take a nap when you need one. In fact I think I zzzzzzzzzzzz

March 19, 2014: A new Mikey profundity. "A man that stands alone facing adversity without compromising and looks death in the eye without flinching is considered strong and is deeply respected. If that same man has someone by his side throughout all of his adversities and he can look death in the eye with the support of people that will love and support him to the end then he is a man to be envied." Now that I'm actually facing adversity and death I find that I would rather be envied than respected. I love you Robin.

March 18, 2014: My confession : I haven't confronted anyone about this but I have to say that I have a low opinion of those of you that don't consider loyalty, duty, honor, friendship, and love to be a part of the core of yourself.

March 2, 2014: Wisdom from the guy whose meds are kicking in :
If you have any questions about anything at all then you need to get them to me as soon as you can because these new pills I'm taking are giving me the answers to absolutely anything and everything. Take advantage of my new-found brilliance before my prescription changes.
Wisdom ensues :
If you consider yourself to be "assertive and confident" but everyone else just thinks you're an asshole there's a better than average chance that you're an asshole. Sorry about that.
Diamonds are expensive but pearls are precious. I don't know why I made that distinction but it must be important. Maybe someone will explain it to me.
Eat every flounder you can find. Those critters have made a mockery of physiological bilateralism and are confusing as heck. They deserve the fact that they're delicious.
It's acceptable to encourage obnoxious tourists to feed seagulls. (Bird poo is funny when you're not the one trying to get it out of your hair) Educate the nice people that are just visiting though. We like those guys.
If you make a donation to any animal shelter you will be a better person than you've ever been before. (Think about it, there's some cool profundity there...)
The next time a cashier is rude to you don't get your feelings hurt. Just say "Is it purple in here or is it just me? Seriously I need pennies." That's not productive or clever or funny but it has the potential to give somebody something to talk about when they get home. It's always nice to have something to talk about.

Feb 27, 2014: Dementia is awesome. You can look someone straight in the eye and say "Those damn green ducks are driving me crazy. They're chewing up my couch, always changing the channel without asking and barking at the sun all night. Can I borrow your shotgun?" and whoever you're talking to suddenly becomes a stutterer. Hehehehehehehe I have a fun disease.

Feb 23, 2014: Go do something that causes you to have tan lines in weird places. Spend time with the oldest person you know, as much time as you can. Cherry pie filling is the best invention in history. Watch Bugs Bunny and Jimmy Stewart. Find a way to feed somebody that's hungry. Give money to an animal shelter but not if they have tarantulas. Tarantulas are creepy.

Feb 17, 2014: Apparently this thing I've got isn't just taking my memory, it's going to kill me too. As in worm food, stone cold, "Weekend at Bernie's", meeting my ancestors dead. That sucks for me, right? The prognosis is 2-7 years from onset and it's been 2 years so far. I'm in the process of dying and it looks like it's going to be sooner than I would have wanted or expected. I'm posting this on FB because there are some of you that I won't ever get to see again and others that I will never have the pleasure to meet. I want to thank you for your friendship and for the love and laughs you've given me. These are my last wishes for you :
(1) Eat a big chocolate sundae. (2) Adopt an ugly cat. (3) Call your mom for no reason. (4) Don't stop singing when a car pulls up next to you (5) Take pride in your drive and determination to do well in your career but place much more value on love, family, and charity. (6) Join forces with PTSD/Substance Abuse - Soldiers Seeking Safety (7) Take care of Robin for me, please.
I love ya'll. Don't take anything too seriously, be good to yourself and everyone else and have an awesome life. I'm gonna go fishing.

Anyone that's familiar with my blog knows that my husband, an active duty Army Soldier, has health issues. The issue is progressive Dementia. Let me add that Dementia is a symptom of a disease such as; Alzheimer's, Frontotemporal, Lewy Body, Vascular, Huntington's disease, etc. It is not about misplacing keys or forgetting things. Yes, those things happen often enough but it's much more. Unless you live and care for someone that has dementia there is no way to comprehend the realities of it. I lost both my maternal and paternal grandmothers to Alzheimer's disease. I had absolutely no idea what it must have been like for those closest to them at the time. Every person with dementia presents in a unique manner. Each type of this disease is different. One thing I'm grateful for is that with my husband there are still many good moments, especially late morning and early afternoons.

There is no way to determine the cause of Dementia until an autopsy is performed. Doctors have to make their diagnosis based on the data obtained by tests that provide empirical proof of the actual brain damage. The first neurologist that we saw is 80% sure that it is Lewy Body Dementia. I want to note here that for reasons that he didn't share with us he wouldn't provide that information directly to my husband's Command. That same doctor gave a prognosis that is normal for progressive Dementia of 2-7 years mortality. Taking that information we have decided together to plan for the worst and hope for the best. When dealing with a terminal illness that approach seems to makes sense to us.

My husband started having problems two years ago. His perfect military record became marred with missed formations and having alcohol in his system. Before things got really bad my husband went to see the company PA and told him he thought he thought something was wrong with his brain. The PA ordered some blood work and sent him on his way. My husband was having anxiety attacks and one morning he actually had a hallucination on his way to work that upset him so much he had to pull off to the side of the road and pace around until he felt normal again. He began to self medicate more. Of course that brought on a whole new set of issues. Mainly, once you are deemed to be a substance abuser then that defines your medical and health issues completely. Any other issues you may have no longer matter. All other problems are attributed to alcohol.

Initially he was diagnosed with alcohol abuse and adjustment disorder. That was BS (sorry for the colorful language but in this case it's appropriate.) From my viewpoint it seemed more of a label so the unit wouldn't have to take responsibility.

Then came PTSD. On the heels of the PTSD diagnosis came Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder but the alcohol abuse diagnosis was still front and center and was the only concern addressed by his Command. During this time my husband's company changed Commanders 4 times. That might not seem like a big deal but here is why that is a problem; first impressions.

The Commander he served under in Iraq that knew his work ethic and abilities was gone. This is when his symptoms first started becoming noticeable. The incoming Commander had no personal experience with my husband and just saw someone that was flaky and spacey and perhaps lacking in motivation. That Commander was removed from his position and another one took over for a very short time. Then another one came in. This newest one kicked people out left and right but then seemed disposed to let others slide. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason in his methods.

This was also when I learned that the majority of the NCO's there really didn't care about their Soldiers as much as they should have. What was stressed upon them was doing what the Commander mandated in order to stay in his good graces. Soldiers suffered as a result.

To continue with the timeline of events after my husband's initial visit when he knew something was wrong it took six more months to even discover the existence of the R&R center. That is where Soldiers with mental health issues go. Once we learned of the place it still took another month to get an appointment. It was also about this time that I started to realize that perhaps my husband was right and this wasn't just mental illness. I just didn't know what could be wrong.

We began to request a referral to neurology. Those requests would be ignored or dismissed for over a year. We also requested a transfer into the Warrior Transition Unit (WTU). That took a year to accomplish also, finally in July 2013 he was transferred. At this point my husband's only goal was to make a full recovery and deploy again. After multiple attempts and numerous counseling sessions he wasn't showing any signs of improvement. In fact he was getting worse. October 2013 his psychiatrist put him on a permanent profile and because of this a Medical Evaluation Board was instigated. It was also during this time that I started voicing my concern to others. I thought my husband had Dementia.

Before he ever saw the neurologist the MEB found him unfit for duty. His mission at WTU is to focus on his health and attend medical appointments. At least that was my understanding.

Even when we finally got a neurology appointment in January 2014 that doctor didn't think it would be Dementia. First there was more blood work. This was to rule out alcohol related (and also treatable) Dementia along with some other forms of treatable Dementias. Then there was an EEG to check for seizure activity. Then the MRI. Of course the blood work was fine. Then there was the phone call a few days after the MRI. I let the Dr speak because even though I knew he had dementia, it was much harder hearing it from a Doctor. I was rendered speechless and in tears. "Your husband's MRI did show something. I won't go into details over the phone but your suspicions were correct. I want you to know this is not alcohol related." The only words I could get out were, "I know." He continued by saying that of course because of my daily proximity to my husband I would have known before anyone else.

After the sit down appointment we were told that he has progressive Dementia. Specifically left hippocampal atrophy. It is progressive, fatal, and incurable. There is no treatment beyond medication intended to slow memory loss and ease tremors. Let me add that there is no way to tell if the medication to slow memory loss actually works.

We took this information back to my husbands Chain of Command. The Platoon Sergeant immediately made the comment "I lose my keys all the time, it's nothing." This rendered me fairly irate, but I didn't say anything. I calmed down and thought about it. I realized that yes, most people would think that Dementia simply means that you fumble around and forget things. Believe me when I say that is not what Dementia is. It is so much more. It involves a complete change in both personality and behavior. There is also sleep disruption. In my husbands case it means physically acting out all his dreams, good or bad. There are holes in the wall the exact size and shape of his head because he dreamed that he was running. There is just too much to cover here but all the facts are available to anyone interested in having them.

I met with the nurse case manager and told her I was concerned about the lack of understanding for what was going on with my husband and asked for her help with awareness because to all appearances the Company Commander refuses to acknowledge progressive Dementia. He continues to focus his attention on the history of alcohol misuse. Obviously, alcohol does not help but to continue to push an agenda based on a theory that has been proven false multiple times by medical professionals is ludicrous. It is also a waste of time and energy. Theirs and ours.

Now leading up to the events that happened March 17, 2014 are as follows:
Husband is on a program to reduce alcohol usage. Quit date March 22, 2014
Platoon Sergeant and 1st Sergeant are aware of this reduction program.
Sees a Doctor at the Army Substance Abuse program to get Naltrexone to reduce cravings.
Sees his Primary care doctor, is put on Inderal to help with heart rate and withdrawal symptoms.
I request leeway with morning formation. This makes someone upset. I do not know who at this point. Request is denied.
They now decide to make an issue about his alcohol reduction program led by physicians. His program included utilizing the SMART Recovery program, Dr. T from ASAP, Dr. C from Thomas Moore Clinic, and Ms P (LCSW), also from ASAP. **Feels like retaliation**

*Important to note: Alcohol use is never allowed in WTU because of medication interactions. But it was not a secret and never was. His 1SG and PLT SGT were both aware and gave every evidence of being supportive toward his efforts to attain complete abstinence.

On the advice of Ms P from ASAP and with the encouragement of his Command he voluntarily entered an inpatient facility for 1 week in order to complete the final stage of his abstinence program in a controlled environment with experienced supervision for safety purposes. *Detox can be fatal.*
Upon discharge from the facility after successfully completing the detox program my husband requested a prescription for Antabuse which will prevent any alcohol use. The final tool.
He detoxed within 2 days but honored his week-long commitment and continued in the counseling and therapy program until his official discharge. At this time he was anticipating his first requested leave in his military career Monday March 17th. In fact, he has never in his entire life requested so much as even a 3 day pass.

He was discharged from the facility on Monday, 17 March as that was the maximum number of days paid for by the Army Substance Abuse program. He then in-processed back into Fort Hood and the unit by reporting to ASAP, R and R and the Company. At 1530 hours the Commander informed my husband that he was revoking the only leave he had ever requested. The Commander told my husband this when I was not present and as always my husband simply said "Yes Sir", saluted, and left the office quietly devastated but maintaining strict military decorum, something he places a high value on.

In addition to revoking leave the Commander now wants IOP (Intensive outpatient), PHP (prehospitalization program) , and EMMO which is picking up one days worth of medicine 7 days a week for educational purposes. He was also put on High Risk status which means formations 7 days a week with no respite. These are ways to punish and humiliate Soldiers and I have to wonder why these actions would be taken against a Soldier that has shown more integrity and determination than the average Service Member.

Here is why none of this makes sense: My husband is in individual therapy with an ASAP counselor and an ASAP doctor, attends SMART Recovery, has two additional counselors, another psychiatrist, neurologist, primary care physician and a nurse case manager. (I think he has the whole counseling thing covered.)

It is well documented that he does not monitor his own medications. I'm the one that handles this issue and I do it from the time the original prescription is given to the refills of said prescription and I give the correct dosage of the prescribed medication at the appropriate time. As of now this is a thrice daily multiple meds routine that changes fairly often.

If EMMO is supposed to be put in place each time a Soldier is prescribed a new medication then we should seriously look into why he wasn't compelled to follow the EMMO protocol for any of the other new medications he's been given. Even if it were strictly for educational purposes I feel compelled to reference documentation from the neurologist that says "Progressive Dementia, not able to learn or retain any new information."

I stand here today confused as to why a Soldier who is strenuously trying to do the right thing gets punished for his efforts. I also struggle to understand why a college educated and apparently well experienced United States Army Officer in Command of a unit that is designed to assist Soldiers with medical and psychological challenges will not acknowledge his illness for what it is. I'm not being facetious when I say that I am totally at a loss as to where the disconnect occured.

I've been through the proper channels with my concerns. I followed the Chain of Command. All I seemed to accomplish was to make a bunch of people upset and generate a multitude of misunderstandings. Doctors that apparently have obligations I am unaware of won't speak up to the Command and contradict themselves within minutes, knowingly telling two different tales. That may sound like paranoia or hyperbole but trust me, it becomes much more understandable if you were to listen to the recordings I've made with my phone in my pocket. Making recordings may seem extreme or unsavory but when you're constantly told one thing in the privacy of someone's office and then that person vacillates or outright falsifies later when dealing with Command then it makes perfect sense to record everything. I now have the luxury of proof instead of wondering which version of any given story is going to be taken for the truth.

It appears that there is an agenda here that is at odds with US Army standards but we are unwilling to subvert our ethics or standards just to make our lives easier or more comfortable. My husband has suffered because of his strong belief in loyalty and duty. This loyalty has not been reciprocated. Unfortunately he will continue to suffer because he will never compromise. Almost daily, even when I'm pleading with him to request a transfer or to file a complaint, the only response I get is the same one I've gotten for years. "I will be loyal to those with whom I serve. End of discussion"

**UPDATE**
On March 20, 2014 a new Doctor finally entered into my husbands medical profile (what the command bases decisions on) the Lewy Body diagnosis with a PUHLES of 111114 and "Soldier has a form of dementia that will progressively worsen within a relatively short time as he steadily loses control of brain function. He can appear to have normal mental status when he is not experiencing any stress, but this can change at any time, with "good days" and "bad days" (similar to what is seen in Alzheimers). He will become lost if trying to drive himself somewhere, and should not drive alone. If involved in Ride to Recovery, SM should be accompanied by another rider at all times. He has unpredictable lapses in awareness of surroundings, alertness, memory, and ability to maintain socially appropriate behavior. He is prone to lapses in impulse control that may result in excessive eating, drinking (including alcoholic beverages) and spending. When he dreams, his REM sleep disorder causes him to get up and perform the activity he is dreaming about, which can include eating and drinking (including alcohol), or vigorous physical activity,with no memory of the activity when he awakens the next day. He is frequently not able to wake up after a night of active dreaming activity, and must be allowed to sleep until he wakes up of his own accord. No possession or consumption of alcohol. No functional firearms, weapons, sharps, ammunition/other munitions, explosives, or range. Soldier must have 8 hours of rest per 24 hours."

The Commander is out until Monday and does not have to accept what the Doctor has written. I will update when I know more.

**UPDATE** 3-22-14 From my Facebook post: Last nights little unannounced search and seizure by Cadre at the Fort Hood Warrior Transition Brigade made me wake up with a start. I jumped out of bed and opened my spice cabinet. It's full of alcohol! Both store bought and homemade. It didn't even occur to me that I had all of this alcohol. Then I wonder why he didn't grab the wine coolers (that I had also forgotten about) that are in the fridge. I think there is a bottle of dark ale too. All these things in locations that were searched. Oh wait, there's the cold medicine too that's in the fridge!

My stomach is queasy knowing that I missed all these things when they could cause him to be terribly ill. It just simply did not occur to me.

I'm no less mad about the behavior of his leadership. They need to get a grip. We have one. Mikey has one. Getting a grip means having a plan that makes sense. What the Cadre are doing makes no sense other than they have to make us look bad so they look good. However, we have been open and honest. Can't say the same for their sneaking and conniving.

I can't help but wonder what they are hiding....and why. Perhaps it's that they are to get rid of soldiers at all costs?

**UPDATE** 3-23-14 From my Facebook post: Cadre at Fort Hood Warrior Transition Brigade coming again this morning to search the house. Does anyone else notice this pattern of harassment? Bring it on, we have nothing to hide. For the well-being of Mikey...yes, I'm absolutely positive that is why they are doing this. hmmph

**UPDATE** 3-25-14: The Fort Hood Warrior Transition Brigade Surgeon rejected and expired the profile that was written for Mikey. It explained in detail the issues that he has as well as a diagnosis. Their excuse was they want to wait on neuropsychological testing to see if it's a different diagnosis.

WHAT? Neuropsychological testing is sometimes used in the evaluation of Alzheimer's disease to learn more about the nature and level of a person's impairment.

IT IS NOT USED TO MAKE A DIAGNOSIS!!!

I believe their reasons for rejecting the profile are that of reprisal. If there is no profile they do not have to accept that his behavioral issues are caused from his illness.

This Doctor was amazing. He was completely understanding and even expressed shock that no one had put in a diagnosis. We did NOT ASK HIM TO!!! We did not ask him to write this profile. We did not ask for anything. He read the records. He looked at everything.